Goodness gracious, Great Fires of London!
Ian Blair
September 2016, saw the culmination of a series of events across the City of London entitled: ‘London’s Burning’ Great Fire 350, marking the 350th anniversary of the Great Fire of 1666.
What goes around, doesn't always come around!
Ian Blair
Whereas, there are countless examples of former archaeological sites in the City that we are now revisiting, we have not been so fortunate on other former DUA sites. Two such sites, are Watling Court (WAT78) supervised by Dominic Perring, and Miles Lane (ILA79) supervised by Louise Miller (Malkin) where the buildings have recently been demolished, and the sites now being redeveloped.
When is a quarry pit, not a quarry pit?
When it’s a Roman cellar!
Ian Blair
The excavation on the smallish site at 7-11 Bishopsgate in 1994 (ETA89), supervised by Dave Sankey with his customary relaxed grip on the helm, stands out in my mind for two reasons.
Walbrook to Williamsburg: two London born archaeologists with a shared past and present.
Ian Blair
In August 2016, I flew back from Washington, following a visit to Ivor Noël Hume and Carol his wife in Williamsburg, Virginia. This was my fourth such visit since 2007, and provided another opportunity, for two London born archaeologists, to talk about their shared past and present.
Lloyd’s Register of Shipping 71 Fenchurch Street, London EC3 (FCC95)
Ian Blair
One of the largest projects undertaken by MoLAS in 1996–97, was the excavation of the site of Lloyd’s Register of Shipping, 71 Fenchurch Street.
‘Known unto God’: Deptford Royal Dockyard (Convoys Wharf)
Ian Blair
Huddled together like a colony of emperor penguins wearing PPE to help weather the Antarctic winter, a group of archaeologists stand beneath a Turneresque sky on No 1 slipway, at Deptford Royal Dockyard site (known as Convoys Wharf) in January 2012.
That was then, this is now
Ian Blair
Whilst thirty seven years separate these two photographs of the archaeologists who worked on two large excavations in the City of London: the GPO site (GPO75) Newgate Street, and the recently completed Fenchurch Street (FES15), I felt that it would be interesting to compare and contrast.
Belle Tout well shaft Update
Ian Blair
25 April 2016
By way of an update on the earlier post related to the Belle Tout well shaft on the Sussex coast, which we aired on FB in August 2015.
The launch of the Clapton logboat reconstruction – on the River Lea at Clapton in 1988.
Ian Blair
'Rock, Paper, Scissors': Queen opening the Guildhall Art Gallery
Ian Blair
A mere 47 years and 5 months into Queen Elizabeth’s reign at the official opening of the Guildhall Art Gallery on 2 November 1999, a smiling Gina Porter manages to beat her in a game of rock-paper-scissors –her choice of paper successfully wrapping Her Majesty’s rock.
Birling Gap/ Belle Tout well shaft
Ian Blair
21 August 2015
The recent launch of CITiZAN, the Coastal and Intertidal Zone Archaeological Network, brought to mind a very vivid illustration of a single feature exposed by coastal erosion, which I had seen whilst working on sites around Sussex prior to joining the DUA.
UNSUNG HEROES - Pat Connolly and Alan Gammon
Ian Blair
Two of the unsung heroes of the DUA/MOLAS in the years between 1988-1991 were Patrick Connolly and the late Alan (Al) Gammon – former Thames Mudlarks who were employed (on a full salary would you believe!) as full time metal detectorists working alongside the archaeologists.
Regis House Gantry Collapse
Ian Blair
Mercifully, near misses on archaeological sites in the City, were relatively few – but these photos from Regis House document an exception – when a gantry supporting a fully laden skip collapsed adjoining an area that Kieron Heard, Andy West and Adam Lord were working in.
'Read all about it!': Headlines at Regis House (KWS94)
Ian Blair
Before the advent of digital cameras: which can tell you the very second that a photograph was taken on, old steam driven SLR camera technology generally saw supervisors on site taking a snap of a scribbled date on a scrap of paper at the start of each film.
John 'the desk' Byrne
Ian Blair
Hi One & All
Last night whilst talking to Gill the subject turned around to the DUA and some of the principal players in the cast in the early days. As you all know, one of the central characters was John ‘the desk’ Byrne, who basically ran Basinghall Street in Hobley’s absence - juggling this full-time job with studying the form in the Sporting Life.